Engineering gold nanosheets into bugle-like assemblies for plasmon-enhanced near-infrared oncology treatment.
Discover the power of gold nanosheets engineered into bugle-like structures for enhanced near-infrared cancer treatment. These low-symmetry nanocrystals harness the magic of plasmonics to efficiently convert light into heat, paving the way for highly effective photothermal tum...
This study presents a novel synthesis of gold (Au) nanocrystals with low-symmetry shapes, using hexamethylenetetramine to induce the rolling of Au nanosheets into cone-like structures that evolve into bugle forms. The resulting Au nanobugles exhibit strong plasmonic absorption in the near-infrared (NIR-I) region, as confirmed by UV-vis spectra and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. By optimizing the shape, size, and composition, the 81 nm Au nanobugles achieved a significant temperature increase of 23°C after 15 minutes of irradiation with an 808 nm laser at a power density of 1 W cm^-2, demonstrating excellent photothermal conversion efficiency for effective tumor photothermal therapy. This research highlights the potential of low-symmetry plasmonic nanocrystals in advancing photothermal cancer treatment.